Sharp vs Smooth - What's the Difference?

In high level Layman's terms, the sharper the razor is, the easier it will cut through the whiskers. Those with dense, heavy beards tend to prefer sharper blades due to their ability to cut through even the roughest of hair growth without any pulling or discomfort.

A smoother razor won't always perform well for those with dense, heavy beards, but are far more forgiving and are often the best choice for those with sensitive skin. and those who are starting out with double edge safety shaving.

Extremely Sharp Blade Showcase - Feather

Feather blades are manufactured in Japan and are in the sharpest category of blades available for purchase. In fact, you could argue that this blade is the single sharpest blade on the market.

This blade is extremely popular amongst shavers with coarse beards, however, due to their extreme sharpness, must be used with care.

This blade isn't for beginners - the sharpness of the blade means that it's not very forgiving and if you're not experienced in preparing your skin and creating a nice protective lather then you'll likely end up cutting yourself frequently.​

Those with sensitive skin should also think twice before purchasing a feather blade - the aggressiveness of the blade can be quite uncomfortable if your skin is easily irritated.​

Extremely Smooth Blade Showcase - Derby

Derby blades are at the opposite end of the spectrum to Feather blades, but are equally as popular for a different category of shaver.

Derby blades are far smoother and tend to be the favourite choice for those who have sensitive skin or for new wet shavers who want to learn the technique before moving up to sharper blades.​

Furthermore, the average price per blade is only around $0.09, making it one of the cheapest blades on the market. To put this into context, Derby blades are more than 3 times cheaper than Feather blades.

However, Derby blades aren't a good choice for those​ who have coarser beards as the blade tends to be too dull to properly cut through the thick whiskers.

Unsure About Which Blade is Right for You?

If you're not sure which blade is right for you then you have a couple of good options that will enable you to try blades cheaply.

Option 1 - Purchase a Blade Pack from Amazon

You can purchase a blade pack for under $50. This is one of the best ways to try all the different blades that are available on the market.

This double edged razor blade pack available from Amazon enables you to test seven of the most popular razor blade brands available

Option 2 - Purchase from Tryablade.com

Tryablade.com is a web site that is dedicated to helping people find the perfect blade for them.​ Here you can purchase individual blades and build your own pack, without having to commit to a pack of 100, or 125 blades, from which there is commonly excess.

Tryablade actually allow you to purchase a pack that contains 1 blade of all the 82 blades that they have in stock for one low price of under $25. Definitely worth checking out:-

Paul

I'm a computer science graduate, have a passion for self development and created this site as a side project due to the lack of complete, understandable, helpful and truthful information about hair removal available online. Over the next few years, I want to develop this site into being the place to visit for hair removal consumer information. Got any questions? Write to us below:

I see there’s no “your mileage may vary” disclaimer here, as not all blades are equal to all faces. I found the Voskhod Teflon-coated blades to be the smoothest on the planet; BICs and Sharks are good; Feathers are so sharp as to be a bit rough, Derbys & Astras are at the low end, and Nacets literally ripped my face up. There’s also no mention of the razor being used…a Gillette Tech ball-end is a wonderfully mild razor for my sensitive skin, while my red-tip is a bit too aggressive. And an adjustable Slim on “3” is just right with just about any blade. I do agree with Try A Blade, though. Great deals at great places, $3 shipping.

Dave, Paul, I appreciate your help here for those of us trying the double edged razor experience. I have no idea what blades to buy so I went to the Try A Blade link you provided…many blades for under $25. I just wanted to note that the price on those blades has gone up a bit. Listed below, the price for 112 blades, not including shipping. I think I will give them a try just the same.
Thanks guys.

Double Edge Safety Razor Blades
Super Double Edge Sampler – 112 Blades
Super Double Edge Sampler – 112 Blades
One of each of the in-stock blades along with a 10% discount. The discount is already factored into the price.
$34.43

First time on site and I was checking on blade sharpness for some particular blades and I have a Gillette ball end razor from the 50’s and is my favorite razor, I have several other razors, but I’m still experimenting with blades at the moment to see which ones work best with which razor.

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